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Support for Boston’s Olympic bid has tripped out of the starter’s gate. Now, Boston 2024 says it won’t go forward without public support. Boston City Councilor Josh Zakim and United Independent Party chairman Evan Falchuk have proposed ballot questions to gauge just that, hoping to provide a place for voters to weigh in, maybe even have the final say.

Should people get a say, maybe the final say, on whether the Olympics come to Boston? And if so, should it just be Bostonians? Or the whole state? Let us know.

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Don’t get me wrong. I grew up at the awesome Ground Round in Danvers where you could watch little film strip movies, play games, and chuck peanut shells and popcorn all over the floor. It was fantastic.

Fast forward, however, to now….and to Halibut Point Restaurant.

I love it there. I’m all for a quick meal and a beer sitting at the bar talking with Jack. I’m also not afraid to dive into the basket of peanuts that is inevitably placed directly in front of me. I do, however, while snacking….place my shells in the extremely convenient glass bowl that is ALWAYS strategically placed in close proximity to the peanuts themselves. What I don’t do is channel my inner 7 year old….and chuck the shells all over the floor.

So, that being the case, I was a little surprised to watch someone eating peanuts and throwing the shells with reckless abandon…this way and that…all over the floor last night (that may be a slight exaggeration).

So, I ask you… If and when you happen to dine at Halibut Point…do you use the bowl or do you chuck shells on the floor? Be honest.

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After a few too many adult beverages Joey may or may not come to regret his fateful decision of asking me to become an official GMG contributor. My role as we discussed and maybe to your dismay, will be to give the straight dope without filter as I see things (oh boy) You may agree with me or you may vehemently disagree with me, but know that what I put on these pages will be straight from my heart without excuses.

As far as the poll goes we are looking for my new username. Please chime in and whichever one wins I’ll be using going forward.

If there are any topics you would like to discuss on this crazy adventure feel free to leave a comment below and follow me on twitter @ali4416

Governor Baker is working to secure federal relief for Massachusetts businesses which are trying to recover from losses incurred during the recent stretch of bad weather.In an effort to assist the Baker Administration, business groups and chambers are reaching out to their membership to gauge the impact across the state. Please take a moment to fill out the following survey. https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/5SNZLYSResponses are requested by Noon on Monday, March 2, 2015.

I’ve been keeping up with the storm (or at least trying to) by going out every couple of hours to shovel the walkway, around the cars and the end of the driveway. When driving over my mom’s to shovel her out I noticed a good number of cars and driveways that were straight up covered and hadn’t been touched.

Reflecting on it right now I’m not sure which is the better method.

One makes for obviously lighter duty at the end but the screw it til the end method where you sit around and eat like a pig and watch marathon tv series on Netflix sounds pretty damn good.

Please let it end…

What has been your tactic for handling the last few storms. If the options presented in the poll don’t represent your method, leave a comment.

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So, by now, you all know that the United States Olympic Committee voted Boston as its Applicant City for the 2024 Summer Games and the Paralympic Games.

Boston was selected over Los Angeles, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. The last U.S. city to host the Olympics was Salt Lake City back in 2002 and it has been 18 years since the Summer Olympics has called the USA home.

The field is not yet complete, but for now Boston is competing against Rome. Germany is expected to enter a bid for either Berlin or Hamburg, South Africa will likely throw their hat into the ring, and Paris and Istanbul have been said to be entering the competition as well.

The host city will be chosen by the International Olympic Competition in 2017.

So, I ask you, based upon the knowledge that you have, what’s your opinion?

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Ok, so Christmas is just two weeks from tomorrow. So, yesterday I scanned through the radio stations on the way home from work/school to find some holiday music. Now the real test will be, can we keep it up until Christmas?

I like to hear the festive music while out and about doing errands and at holiday events, but not so much day in and day out for two solid weeks…or, heaven forbid, longer. We’ll probably end up listening to “real” music on the way to school and holiday music on the way home. About one week out we’ll probably go hard core and Jingle Bell Rock ourselves to exhaustion while Decking the Halls, Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree, and Ho Hoing the Mistletoe.

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Since I’ve started contributing to GMG there’s been a particular hot topic that seems to come up every so often…so today, I took that topic to the streets.

Actually, not so much to the streets, as to the classroom.

Joey has referred to it as “The Pussification of Sports”….I chose to not use that term in the classroom today. But, I was very interested in what my students would have to say.

The hot topic in question has centered around the belief that some parents have that all kids should be praised, rewarded, celebrated, and applauded equally no matter how they play or contribute (or don’t contribute) to the team’s success. Don’t go all nutty here about the word “success” and how it should be measured. I realize that a team’s success could just as easily be measured by the number of laughs the kids had or the great team morale…or even because of an injury free season. But, for the sake of playing devil’s advocate, let’s say that just for a second, we’re measuring the success of a season by the “Win vs. Loss” column. Is it OK to single out players who excelled? Is it OK to acknowledge those who gave 110% all season long? Is it OK to determine that one kid’s talents and abilities are clearly above the rest? Is it OK to give awards for things like MVP? Or Most Improved? Or by naming one kid the Captain?

Some parents will say that hurts feelings. Some parents will say, “There’s no I in Team” and each player is equally important. Singling out the “better” players is wrong…and not fair. Other parents will say that in the college or professional sports we have things like captains, MVPs, Golden Glove Award winners, Heisman Trophy awards, Cy Young Awards, the coveted Master’s Green Jacket, or the Tour de France yellow jersey. And what about Gold Medals? Parents from the other side would clearly retort, “But our kids aren’t playing professional sports….these are just little kids.” Fair enough.

FYI…the same conversation has been happening in academics. Who remembers this story from last year? It isn’t fair to give Awards of Academic Excellence to just some students! It will hurt other kids’ feelings. Oooh, Oooh, Oooh……OooooR, I have an idea….it just might motivate them to work harder. Or to put energy into something that they excel at or have a passion for. Maybe they’ll never be top of their class, but maybe they become motivated to paint more, or write more poetry, or practice more piano, or donate time to a worthy cause, or think outside the box. Because, really, being top of the class isn’t everything, but those kids do deserve their academic merit awards…and hopefully other children will find their own way to shine…or at least feel good about themselves! Just Saying. (Darn..I wasn’t going to offer my own opinion…but it got away from me for a minute).

So, when, if your child has decided to become part of a sports team, should you expect that the Direct Goal is a winning season and the Indirect Goals (added bonus) would be that all the kids have fun, learn about team work, get some exercise, learn a bit of stick-to-it-ness, and maybe gain some discipline. I ask that seriously. What is the “correct” age for the transition. I mean clearly Professional Sports are concerned about THE WIN. Safe to say College Sports are too. I’d even dare say, High School sports would rather win than lose…even if that means some players didn’t get a chance to touch the ball. So, when should a child be prepared for less playing time or smaller (or no!) trophies unless they’re the high scorer, most valuable, etc.?

Well, those questions may have been too abstract for my 3rd grade students today. So, with the help of Time For Kids Magazine, we explored this question instead.

“Should everyone get a prize or is it OK to acknowledge just the “best” players?”

My students had some pretty interesting and wise things to say. At first the majority quickly thought, “Yes, everyone should get a trophy for being part of the team” but then we started discussing it a bit. Some interesting “what ifs” came up. I won’t try to wax poetically about our whole debate, but some of the key points became:

What if one player plays well, but has really poor sportsmanship?

What if one player plays well, but never shows up to practice, doesn’t try much until its a game situation, and doesn’t act like a part of the team?

What if a player isn’t so great, but supports all of his/her teammates, tries really hard, takes advice, works on skills, never gives up?

After some back and forth, my students decided that all members of a team (up until High School) should receive acknowledgement and, ideally, a really cute little trophy…or at least a ribbon and a certificate :) BUT…then, in addition, the “best” or “hardest working” or “most helpful teammate” players could all get bigger and more special awards. Their words, not mine. Aren’t they cute!?

GMG readers who have any trade with the visitor-based economy, please have a look and share it with your customers, business travelers, and guests (especially any that travel and stay overnight).

Bonus prize! Respondents (prior visitors) who complete the survey will be entered to win a complimentary overnight stay in Gloucester with value of $500.

Per ordinance and under the direction of Community Development’s Tom Daniel and Carol Thistle, the City of Gloucester has established a tourism commission and engaged Open the Door (not to be confused with wonderful The Open Door) to gather as much information as possible for a new Five-Year Marketing Plan. One of the next steps includes casting a net far and wide for feedback from Gloucester visitors. Queue this on-line survey!

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I think the only void we have in the dining scene on Cape Ann is Indian Food. If you’ve been to Anmol in Beverly you know it’s really fantastic. If we could lure the owners of Anmol to open up in the space in the basement of the Blackburn Building that would be round out Gloucester’s dining menu.

Edit: After thinking about this I’m not sure that we have a true Steak House here. That would be something that could add to our dining options. However with the crazy high price of good beef I’m not sure that we could support a real deal Steak House. We could have a place that serves steak obviously but to get real aged beef after you triple your food cost (how most restaurants come up with their pricing) I don’t think we have enough people having business meetings on company credit cards that don’t care that they are spending $40 for a steak and $100 bottle of wine. That’s big city stuff.

So I stand by my original choice of Indian food. Oh and for the people that have never tried Indian food, you’re really missing out. Anmol is a treasure for the people in Beverly.

I could stop this post there and assume you know what I’m getting at…but, for fear you’ll misinterpret my meaning, I’ll go on.

One of my very best friends is a boy.

That may not seem blog worthy to you, but as of late I’ve been wondering how many others out there have a best friend of the opposite sex.

This friend and I have been close for almost 20 years and he means the world to me.I’m not going to lie, in the very beginning we toyed with the idea of being more than friends, but never much did.

One night, a few years into our friendship, we were out together on Christmas Eve and he introduced me to the man who is now my husband of 13 years and the father to our two sons.

My friend is still an amazing friend and I treasure his presence in my life in ways that are kind of hard to explain.I know he’d do anything for me and he’s brutally honest in ways that are totally refreshing.He’s one of the most generous people people I’ve ever met…and the laughing that comes when we’re together is priceless to me.Really, truly, priceless.

He goes away for long periods of time for work and we go months (or even longer) without seeing each other, but when he comes home I’m beyond thrilled to see him.Through the years he’s had a fair share of long term relationships….and I’ve met them all.Some embraced me as his good friend, sometimes realizing that befriending me was as a hall pass of sorts….some didn’t quite understand and never much liked me.Bygones.

My husband is supportive (well, maybe tolerant is a better adjective) because I think he really understands that this friendship is something that I need and cherish…even if I can’t so eloquently explain why.But, I am well aware, it is a luxury that he is tolerant as most others raise an eyebrow and find it more than a bit strange.

Sometimes I understand why others find it strange….sometimes I don’t.To be blunt, the fact that he has a penis doesn’t mean I’m going to see it any more than the fact that my girlfriends having boobies and a vagina means that I’m going to be seeing those.I have plenty of girlfriends whose private parts I’ve certainly never seen.Right?

So, I ask you, can men and women just be friends?When Harry Met Sally tells us “no”, but I think “yes”.

Comment please if you do indeed (or ever have had) a good friend of the opposite sex and take the poll to add your opinion.

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HUGE EDIT and MISTAKE BY ME- NOT A PROPOSED MINIMUM 5 CENT HIKE EVERY 5 YEARS

I love everything about the expansion of the bottle bill to include sports beverages, juice drinks and water bottles EXCEPT this little nugget that the people aren’t talking about-

The proposed law would require the state Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA) to adjust the container deposit amount every five years to reflect (to the nearest whole cent) changes in the consumer price index, but the value could not be set below five cents.

Read through the summary and vote in the poll at the bottom of the post.

Here it is from the State Of Mass Website-

QUESTION 2: Law Proposed by Initiative Petition

Expanding the Beverage Container Deposit Law

Do you approve of a law summarized below, on which no vote was taken by the Senate or the House of Representatives on or before May 6, 2014?

SUMMARY

This proposed law would expand the state’s beverage container deposit law, also known as the Bottle Bill, to require deposits on containers for all non-alcoholic non-carbonated drinks in liquid form intended for human consumption, except beverages primarily derived from dairy products, infant formula, and FDA approved medicines. The proposed law would not cover containers made of paper-based biodegradable material and aseptic multi-material packages such as juice boxes or pouches.

The proposed law would require the state Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA) to adjust the container deposit amount every five years to reflect (to the nearest whole cent) changes in the consumer price index, but the value could not be set below five cents.

The proposed law would increase the minimum handling fee that beverage distributors must pay dealers for each properly returned empty beverage container, which was 2¼ cents as of September 2013, to 3½ cents. It would also increase the minimum handling fee that bottlers must pay distributors and dealers for each properly returned empty reusable beverage container, which was 1 cent as of September 2013, to 3½ cents. The Secretary of EEA would review the fee amounts every five years and make appropriate adjustments to reflect changes in the consumer price index as well as changes in the costs incurred by redemption centers. The proposed law defines a redemption center as any business whose primary purpose is the redemption of beverage containers and that is not ancillary to any other business.

The proposed law would direct the Secretary of EEA to issue regulations allowing small dealers to seek exemptions from accepting empty deposit containers. The proposed law would define small dealer as any person or business, including the operator of a vending machine, who sells beverages in beverage containers to consumers, with a contiguous retail space of 3,000 square feet or less, excluding office and stock room space; and fewer than four locations under the same ownership in the Commonwealth. The proposed law would require that the regulations consider at least the health, safety, and convenience of the public, including the distribution of dealers and redemption centers by population or by distance or both.

The proposed law would set up a state Clean Environment Fund to receive certain unclaimed container deposits. The Fund would be used, subject to appropriation by the state Legislature, to support programs such as the proper management of solid waste, water resource protection, parkland, urban forestry, air quality and climate protection.

The proposed law would allow a dealer, distributor, redemption center or bottler to refuse to accept any beverage container that is not marked as being refundable in Massachusetts.

The proposed law would take effect on April 22, 2015.

A YES VOTE would expand the state’s beverage container deposit law to require deposits on containers for all non-alcoholic, non-carbonated drinks with certain exceptions, increase the associated handling fees, and make other changes to the law.

A NO VOTE would make no change in the laws regarding beverage container deposits.

ARGUMENTSAs provided by law, the 150-word arguments are written by proponents and opponents of each question, and reflect their opinions. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts does not endorse these arguments, and does not certify the truth or accuracy of any statement made in these arguments. The names of the individuals and organizations who wrote each argument, and any written comments by others about each argument, are on file in the Office of the Secretary of the Commonwealth.

IN FAVOR: A YES vote will improve the “Bottle Bill,” where consumers put down a refundable nickel deposit on a beer or soda. People get the nickel back when they return the container. A YES vote will extend this program to cover other beverages such as bottled water.

The Bottle Bill works: 80% of beer and soda containers get recycled. Only 23% of non-deposit containers do. So every year a billion bottles get tossed away, often on playgrounds, roads and beaches. Communities have to pay to clean them up.

A YES vote equals more recycling, less trash and litter, and big savings for towns’ waste management costs. That’s why this idea has been endorsed by 209 of our cities and towns, as well as Democratic Gov. Deval Patrick, former Republican Gov. Mitt Romney, 350 business leaders, and independent groups like the League of Women Voters, MASSPIRG, Sierra Club and hundreds more.

AGAINST: Massachusetts should be a recycling leader, but Question 2 will keep us in the past. Ninety percent of households now have access to curbside and community recycling programs. Let’s focus on what works instead of expanding an outdated, ineffective, and inconvenient system.

Today, more than $30 million of your unclaimed nickels go into the state’s general fund and into the hands of politicians – not to environmental programs. Let’s stop throwing money at an inefficient system and invest in modern recycling technology.

Are you a flasher when you see a police car parked on the side of the road? Do you warn approaching cars of the hidden police car parked around the bend or up ahead?

I used to be. I’m not any more.

In my 20s and maybe even my 30s, I would warn other cars by flashing my headlights in the hopes of saving them from an impending ticket. Now, after having seen more than my fair share of super crappy drivers, I think that if you’re going to speed or drive recklessly then you deserve a ticket. I now, as a driver who has two young boys in the backseat of my car 97% of the time, support the police officers in their mission to keep our roads safe.

The other day, while driving from Rockport to Gloucester via Thatcher Road, the car behind me was so spirited with its flashing, I couldn’t help but laugh. He surely had some type of super hero complex. Clearly on a mission to save the world from speeding tickets. What would that Super Hero’s name be? Driving in front of him was reminiscent of walking into Spencer’s at the Liberty Tree Mall circa the 1980s. Surely someone out there knows what I’m talking about?

His exuberance made me start to think…..which side of the law do most people fall?

A proposed new dog ordinance, which may allow dogs to frolic leash free on city beaches, while also raising fines for owners who fail to pick up their dogs’ calling cards, will be up for a public hearing before Gloucester’s full City Council, a week after a council subcommittee passed a set of proposed changes without a recommendation to either approve or turn aside.

If the new ordinance gets approval from the City Council, the first offense for failing to pick up after a pooch is $50, and any subsequent offense is $100.

While dogs are allowed on city beaches during the fall and winter months, the City Council is also being presented with two off-leash options from an ad-hoc committee that began studying the city’s roughly 40-year-old ordinance last November.

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Free GMG Gloucester Sticker

As long as supplies last if any GMG folks want a bumper sticker but can't drop down the dock, just send a self addressed and stamped envelope longer then 7 and a half inches and I'll drop one in the mail for you.

Send the self addressed and stamped envelope to the dock at 95 East Main St Gloucester Ma 01930 care of Joey (put my name in big letters to make sure it gets to me)

Free GMG Gloucester Sticker

As long as supplies last if any GMG folks want a bumper sticker but can't drop down the dock, just send a self addressed and stamped envelope longer then 7 and a half inches and I'll drop one in the mail for you.

Send the self addressed and stamped envelope to the dock at 95 East Main St Gloucester Ma 01930 care of Joey (put my name in big letters to make sure it gets to me)